This invention relates to electronic editing and more particularly to editing of integrated color images and related text material of a document over telephone or cellular phone lines connecting a customer with one or more copy centers.
Production of high quality color brochures and other color documents containing text material requires the ability to edit the text material and then integrate it with color images followed by printing of the integrated document without loss of color resolution. Printers capable of producing high quality color printed images at low per copy costs are expensive and are usually not affordable by individuals and small businesses who typically rely on printers at a copy center for their printing needs.
By sharing an expensive, high quality color laser copier among many personal computer users, the cost to produce high quality color printouts can be lowered to levels affordable by most individuals and small businesses.
Remote access to the color laser copier or printer can be accomplished by telephone but this can result in substantial transmission costs since transmitting uncompressed color images over telephone lines usually requires sending millions of bytes of image data over lines having limited transmission capacity. Typically, a color image can require several million bytes of pixel information to accurately represent the image. Commercial phone lines can transmit information at data rates up to a few thousand bytes per second by means of conventional MODEM (modulator demodulator) technology. Hence, a color image containing ten million bytes of pixel information will require ten thousand seconds if a 9600 band MODEM is utilized. This results in almost three hours of transmission time per image. This invention provides the means of producing full color documents at high resolution without having to transmit high resolution color images by telephone.
Within the context of color electronic publishing, the source of color images for integration with text is normally a color scanner, however, any electronic image source can be used. For example, VHS recorders and other video signal sources can be used to provide color images for integration with text material. Video images can be edited, cropped and integrated with text using a color electronic publishing software program, such as recently introduced color versions of PageMaker and Ventura Publisher. Medical, real estate, architect and other professionals can record color images on a video recorder and then when played back, freeze specific images or frames on their PC for later integration within a color document. Uses of color documents produced in this way can range from medical diagnostic reports to real estate sales literature.
One of the newest technologies for creating high resolution color images for incorporation within documents is Kodak's Photo CD technology. Any 35 mm camera can generate very high resolution color images stored on low cost optical media using Kodak's Photo CD technology.
While electronic publishers are now integrating color images with text by means of color scanners and electronic image capture devices, images stored on optical media will soon become a major source of very high quality color images. Kodak's introduction of film to compact disc processing technology permits commercial photographers, personal computer users and virtually anyone with a 35 mm camera to store images on optical media. The market trend in electronic publishing is toward digital image data bases stored on optical media.
Electronic publishers using a personal computer can now access high quality digital images stored on optical media, position the image within their document and have a very high quality copy (or copies) produced on the print center's color laser copier. These images may be user supplied or be selected from stock images already stored on an automated optical disc storage system such as Kodak's Model 560. These optical disc-based image libraries can be accessed by MODEM permitting electronic publishers to search for images for incorporation within their documents. Image searches at low DPI (dots per inch), is a major feature of this invention. The combination of user-accessable image data bases, coupled with high quality, affordable document production will transform print centers into publishing centers which can offer users unique capabilities beyond the scope and affordability of individually owned equipment.
In the present invention, the text of a document may be edited and arranged on a computer video display terminal, combined with a graphic or color image imported at low resolution by telephone transmission from a remote print center having an image database, and the complete document can be printed at high resolution by a color laser copier or printer at the same remote print center.
The means for reducing printing and transmission costs by telephone transmission and subsequent printing of the document at the local print center comprise:
1. Compressing a low resolution version of a color image stored at the print center on one or more optical discs in both high and low resolutions prior to telephone transmissions to the user; PA1 2. The user can then decompress the low resolution image, review that image, and then place the low resolution image within a portion of the document, termed an image frame; and PA1 3. The user then transmits the edited text and image frame to the print center where a high resolution version of the same image is then retrieved from the optical disc storage unit and placed within the image frame.
The advantage of this solution is that the integration of text material and color image can be done completely at the user's location without requiring the additional step of physically transferring a high resolution color image via MODEM. Also, this technique avoids the disadvantage of distortions caused by data compression at levels sufficient to significantly reduce transmission time thereby maintaining high quality resolution in the printed output.